Everything I Ate in Dallas, Texas: An Honest Food Tour

A week in Dallas, Texas, covered in a single food roundup. Kev hits seven restaurants spanning fried chicken, pupusas, Tex-Mex, Ethiopian BBQ, Pakistani tandoori, and more. Here is what stood out and what fell flat.

Babe's Fried Chicken

The biscuits with honey were good. The bone-in fried chicken on its own was decent but lacked seasoning. With hot sauce and honey, it turned into a solid piece of chicken. The restaurant serves family-style, dropping giant platters of fried chicken on your table.

Rating: 8.1 / 10

Papusa's Dona Lola

The pupusas got a positive mention but no detailed breakdown. The vibe was good and the food was strong.

Meso Maya (Tex-Mex)

The carne asada was the only standout. The rest of the meal did not warrant a rave.

Common Good Coffee

A coffee shop with a DJ setup. The atmosphere was notable, and the coffee was solid.

Goldie's BBQ (Missed)

They drove out to the middle of nowhere to try Goldie's, but the line was too long and the kitchen was about to sell out. The trip was not wasted, though, because it led them to an alternative.

Smoke and Ash (Ethiopian-Style BBQ)

The backup plan turned into the highlight. Smoke and Ash serves Ethiopian-style BBQ, and Kev called it the most unique BBQ experience of his life.

BK Khan (Pakistani Tandoori)

The tandoori chicken was the star: succulent, well-seasoned, and perfectly barbecued. The Nihari was solid, especially scooped into naan. The surprise hit was the aloo chole with fried dough, which Kev said blew him away. The one miss: the Pakola, a Pakistani drink that tasted, in his words, like "a urinal sponge and a mojito."

Mike's Chicken

Mentioned as the final stop with a knowing reference to a previous full review.

Key Takeaways

• Babe's Fried Chicken is worth the trip, especially with hot sauce and honey (8.1/10)
• Smoke and Ash serves Ethiopian-style BBQ that is unlike anything else in Dallas
• BK Khan's tandoori chicken and aloo chole are standouts; skip the Pakola
• If you are going to Goldie's BBQ, arrive early or accept the sellout risk

Resources

• @how.kev.eats on TikTok -- Food reviews from cities across the US